U.S.A. Team Excels in International Mathematical Olympiad

Members of the USAMO Team and their coaches.

Competing against teams representing a record 75 countries, six American high school students won six medals and took second place at the 37th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Bombay, India, July 5-17, 1996.

The top 10 teams and their scores (out of a possible 252 points) are: Romania (187), U.S.A. (185), Hungary (167), Russia (162), United Kingdom (161), China (160), Vietnam (155), South Korea (151), Iran (143), and Germany (137).

The IMO is a rigorous two-day competition composed of problems that would challenge most professional mathematicians. In addition to comprehensive mathematical knowledge, success in the IMO requires exceptional mathematical creativity and inventiveness.

Titu Andreescu, from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, and leader of the team said, "We are extremely happy. The problems were very difficult and every team member performed to his best potential. We had an outstanding four-week training program preceding the competition and our hard work paid off. We demonstrated again that The U.S.A. is abl2 to maintain its2high ranking in the IMO."

A ccompanying the team were also Kiran Kedlaya, recent graduate of Harvard University, deputy of the team and a former U.S. IMO team member, and Walter E. Mientka, a professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the U.S.A. team observer.

The U.S.A. team was chosen on the basis of performance in the 25th annual U.S.A. Mathematical Olympiad held in May of this year. The training program was held at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, June 5-July 3. The U.S.A. Mathematical Olympiad is the culminating activity of a series of examinations conducted by the Amercan Mathematics Competitions, an official program of the Mathematical Association of America. More than 366,000 high school students participated in the examinations this year.

U.S.A.Mathematical Olympiad activities are also sponsored by eight other national associations in the mathematical sciences with arrangements made by the Mathematical Association of America.Financial support is provided by the Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, Microsoft Corporation, and the Matilda R.Wilson Fund.

IMO team members:

1. Carl J. Bosley, Washburn Rural High School, Topeka, KS * Gold Medalist
2. Christopher C. Chang, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto, CA * Gold Medalist
3. Nathan G. Curtis, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA * Silver Medalist
4. Michael R. Korn, Mounds View High School, Arden Hills, MN * Gold Medalist
5. Carl A. Miller, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD * Silver Medalist
6. Alexander H. Saltman, LBJ High School Science Academy, Austin, TX * Gold Medalist

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National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
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